Plastic security trays harbour the highest levels of viruses at airports, a study has found. Pandemic experts found evidence of viruses on 10% of airport surfaces tested – which also included shop payment terminals, staircase rails, passport-checking counters and children’s play areas. The various surfaces were swabbed at Helsinki airport at peak time as part of a scientific investigation carried out by experts from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish national institute for health and welfare during the winter of 2016. The research discovered viruses were most commonly found on the plastic trays that are circulated along the passenger queue at the hand luggage X-ray checkpoint. Experts concluded that hand-washing and careful coughing hygiene are crucial to the control of contagious infections in public areas. <br/>
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All over the world airport operators are updating aging terminals and constructing new ones, wooing travelers with retail and dining options that encourage them to spend more money. And they are spending as much as 30% more at some airports, according to OTG, the airport concessionaire. When revenue from airport amenities goes up, the fees airlines pay to use an airport can go down, which in turn can attract more airlines to offer service to the region. It is up to the airport “to be attractive to the customers; both the airline and the traveler,” said Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International, a trade group. By providing more services and better shopping, an airport can “keep their aeronautical charges down and entice airlines,” she said. <br/>
With just 11 working days remaining for the US Congress to pass legislation reauthorizing the FAA, industry observers are expecting the most likely path forward to be another short-term extension that would last through the end of the year. That would give Congress a window to pass the bill following mid-term elections in November, although a failure to do so would mean that a new Congress would have to start the process from scratch in January with a new bill. To avoid the prospect of another extension, the Senate would need to pass its bill and reconcile differences with the House in a conference committee by Sept 30—a possibility that appears even more remote when considering the last multi-year FAA bill took 3 full months to conference. <br/>
IATA DG and CE Alexandre de Juniac has called on New Delhi to address the country's infrastructure and regulatory issues in order to allow the airline industry to meet its growth potential over the next 20 years. De Juniac noted that despite huge demand, airlines in India have struggled to earn sustainable profits. “India’s social and economic development needs airlines to be able to profitably accommodate growing demand. We must address infrastructure constraints that limit growth and govt policies that deviate from global standards and drive up the cost of connectivity,” he says. De Juniac called for particular action to make Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport more efficient in the short-term as “nobody expects Navi Mumbai to open in 2019 as planned.” <br/>
One of Japan’s largest airports, Kansai International, was closed indefinitely by damage from the nation’s most powerful typhoon in 25 years. The bridge that links the island airport with the mainland was hit by a storm-driven tanker ship Tuesday, shearing off one chunk and dislodging a section of roadway from the rest of the bridge. At the airport itself, one runway was under water and one terminal’s basement was flooded, an airport spokesman said. The airport, near Osaka, serves as one of the nation’s main gateways for Asian tourists. JAL said 150 passengers and 600 staff were still at the airport as of Tuesday night local time, and there was no immediate way to evacuate. ANA said 65 customers and 290 employees were at the airport. Public broadcaster NHK said a total of 3,000 people were stranded there. <br/>